Classically endowed

An acclaimed classical dancer, choreographer and composer, Padma Subrahmanyam is known for her ‘show-not-tell’ approach to the arts, writes Rashmi Vasudeva

Celebrated dancer Padma Subrahmanyam was once asked by an admirer why a classical dance performance does not seem to have space for anything impromptu like an alaap in a classical music concert. In reply, the ever-inventive Padma depicted an entire heart surgery with Bharatanatyam moves. It was a solo performance where she played the role of the heart surgeon, the patient who is wheeled into the ICU for the operation as well as assorted nurses. An entertaining, tongue-in-cheek and a very ‘show not tell’ response to a genuine doubt. Or shall we say, a very Padmaesque reply.

On being told that her ‘dance surgery’ video has gone viral on YouTube, she laughs. “I know, but I did it on a lark. For a long time, I wanted to become a surgeon and I had begged some of my relatives to let me watch them perform operations. That is how I knew all the intricate details of a heart surgery. But yes, I did it to prove a point. The idea that classical dance, especially Bharatanatyam, is confined to a rigid set of movements, rules and themes, is just one of the many misconceptions that float around about the dance form,” she says wryly.

Early influences

To get to speak to the danseuse was a struggle of several weeks not because she was inaccessible but because she was busy travelling and performing in different cities. Evidently, age is just a state of mind as far as Padma is concerned. “I did my rangapravesha in 1956 but even before that I had performed on the stage a few times,” she recalls. A student of the renowned dance guru Vazhuvur Ramaiah Pillai, Padma’s biggest influence apart from her “intimidating and yet gentle” guru was her father K Subrahmanyam, a multi-faceted personality himself. He was someone who was considered a cultural fountainhead of his times, a father figure for the Tamil film industry and a freedom fighter to boot. “I was my father’s pet and I looked up to him for everything. My mother too was a music composer but her traditionalism did not let her perform in public,” says Padma.

The danseuse’s childhood was spent in a house that was filled with music, discussions on films and dance of course. “My mornings were musical while evenings were dedicated to learning dance. Nights were for studying.”

Padma reminisces how her home was always buzzing with visitors and extraordinary jugalbandis were par for the course. “I remember music director Salil Chowdhary would often visit my father. He would sit with a harmonium on one end, my mother would be on her harmonium on the other end and they would joust away – sometimes, the great music composer G Ramanathan would also join in and for us listeners, it would be a serendipitous feast every other day.” Apart from learning under Pillai, Padma also picked up the finer intricacies of abhinaya and grace which she is greatly known for today from the legendary Mylapore Gowriamma, one of the last Devadasi performers before the system was abolished. Attached to the Kapaleeshwara Temple in Mylapore, Gowriamma taught some of the biggest stalwarts of Bharatanatyam including Rukmini Devi and Bala Saraswathi. “Her lessons in synchronisation and bhava are invaluable to me. She treated me like a daughter,” recalls Padma.

Au naturale

Not many know perhaps that the danseuse is also a consummate singer and music composer apart from being a scholar in Natya Shastra. Her Ph.D was, in fact, on the karanas in Indian dance and sculpture. “My thesis stemmed from a natural desire to probe deeper into what constituted my art, where did it originate from and what gave it form and beauty. Even as a child, I used to read up anything about Indian culture and dance forms that I could lay my hands upon,” she says. Padma says the knowledge she gleaned out of her scholarly pursuits is what she applies in her teaching, an activity that provides her the “greatest joy”.

Holistic approach

Having started as an assistant teacher in the dance school Nrithyodaya established way back in 1942 by her father, today, Padma runs the school. “Over the years, I have learnt, relearnt and unlearnt many things. Bharatanatyam today has transformed, not just technically but also sociologically. We now need to look at it holistically – hence my focus on the various aspects of dance as an art, be it theoretical, emotional or intellectual.” This approach is perhaps why, for Padma, experimentation comes naturally, be it depicting the dying throes of Jatayu to the music of Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet or infusing traditional Bharatanatyam with the banika (roughly, mono-acting) style of presentation. Apart from these, the dance dramas she has choreographed as well as set the music to, such as her famous Bhagavad Gita, have brought her countless accolades and awards, including the Padma Bhushan. The dancer-scholar is also a much-sought after speaker in universities and cultural centres and is, in fact, associated with many. “Fusion, experimentation…these are words that are bandied about a lot. Real experimentation happens organically. Any other way, it is bound to fall flat.”